Editorial: Flexibility will be key to success of McCrory’s new DOT plan

By Wilmington StarNews/Halifax Media

Published: Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 04:40 PM.

As of 2012, officials had identified $50 billion in transportation needs through 2024, but only about $12 billion in projected revenue. That’s a huge gap, and it won’t be filled merely by shuffling money around.

The governor is right that transportation is key to economic development and bringing more jobs to
North Carolina
. We cannot expect companies to set up shop in a state where roads are congested and not properly maintained. And that’s why he and the Honorables need to develop new ways to raise money for transportation.

Austerity can only take us so far. If we do not invest in our infrastructure, we will lose jobs to other states that put a higher priority on maintaining and expanding their highway and local road systems.

Despite showing promise, McCrory’s plan also could allot more money to the largest cities such as Raleigh and Charlotte at the expense of smaller urban areas and rural areas, which also are desperately in need of economic development. One concern could be the fate of the last leg of Interstate 140. Former Gov. Bev Perdue had secured money for the project and promised that it would be completed on an expedited timetable, but under this new plan her promise will only be good through 2015. Construction scheduled to start after that would likely have to compete with other statewide projects. Also suffering will be money for bike trails and other alternatives to automobiles. Some of that could be picked up by local governments, depending on their priorities.

As with any new program, there are bound to be some unanticipated deficiencies. But if officials are flexible enough to fix problems as they occur, we just might get some roads built.

North Carolina has billions of dollars in transportation needs, but not nearly enough money to pay for them all. Last week, Gov. Pat McCrory rolled out a plan that he says will do more with the same amount of money. His “Strategic Mobility” plan deserves a chance, but the public also needs to eye it with skepticism.

According to McCrory and his transportation secretary, Tony Tata, the state can do more projects by changing the formula for distributing transportation money among the 14 divisions statewide. Currently, money is allocated equally, with local officials determining priorities for projects.

The new formula would take much of that decision-making away from the locals, and all projects deemed to be of statewide importance would be selected based solely on a set of data that includes the potential for economic development and job creation, as well as population. Regional and local projects would get more local input, but the state Department of Transportation would maintain significant control.

Doing it this way, the DOT says, could mean completing 260 projects over the next 10 years as opposed to 175 under the current plan, creating more jobs in the process. The down side is that some divisions will get more money than others because their projects are deemed more important.

The impact of doing it that way won’t be clear until it’s been tried, but if the state can do more with the same pot of money, the program deserves a fair chance to succeed.

However, neither the governor nor the General Assembly should be content to make do with what the gas tax and other sources of revenue are expected to bring in over the next decade. The DOT has projected that those revenues will actually begin to decline, which means less money for transportation in a state that is expected to add 1.3 million people over the next 10 years.

As of 2012, officials had identified $50 billion in transportation needs through 2024, but only about $12 billion in projected revenue. That’s a huge gap, and it won’t be filled merely by shuffling money around.

The governor is right that transportation is key to economic development and bringing more jobs to North Carolina. We cannot expect companies to set up shop in a state where roads are congested and not properly maintained. And that’s why he and the Honorables need to develop new ways to raise money for transportation.

Austerity can only take us so far. If we do not invest in our infrastructure, we will lose jobs to other states that put a higher priority on maintaining and expanding their highway and local road systems.

Despite showing promise, McCrory’s plan also could allot more money to the largest cities such as Raleigh and Charlotte at the expense of smaller urban areas and rural areas, which also are desperately in need of economic development. One concern could be the fate of the last leg of Interstate 140. Former Gov. Bev Perdue had secured money for the project and promised that it would be completed on an expedited timetable, but under this new plan her promise will only be good through 2015. Construction scheduled to start after that would likely have to compete with other statewide projects. Also suffering will be money for bike trails and other alternatives to automobiles. Some of that could be picked up by local governments, depending on their priorities.

As with any new program, there are bound to be some unanticipated deficiencies. But if officials are flexible enough to fix problems as they occur, we just might get some roads built.